E klips



Patented May I6, I899. '1 T. l. nurrv;

TOE CLIP FOR BIGYGLES.

(Application filed Nov. 19, 1895.)

(No Model.)

Jawwg Li t/# 5 Qua!!! llnrrm) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS I. DUFFY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE E KLIPS SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TOE-CLIP FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 625,156, aateatr'ay 16, 189i).

Application filed November 19, 1898- Serial No. 696,845. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, THOMAS I. DUFFY, 0 Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toe-Clips for Bicycles;

and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in toe-clips for bicycle-pedals which'are designed to receive the toe of the riders shoe and to retain the same in proper position upon before it has been folded in its final form.

Fig. 6 is a crosssection on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 shows a modified form of loop.

In the drawings, A designates a bicyclepedal of common form, and B designates as a whole my improved toe-clip. Said clip conport on either side of said central point of attachment, and in order to give greater stability to the clip said loops are preferably connected between their ends. Each of said loops are curved between their ends to form a toe-receiving bend b and a side guard b site ends of the support.

As shown, said loops are attached to the sup- I will be joined as, for instance, by means of l a tie 12 as shown in Fig. 1. From said point of connection the loops diverge at a sharp angle to the vertical plane of the supportinglugs b, from whence they extend outwardly in opposite directions and are curved downwardly and inwardly and joined to the oppo- This arrangement of the rear ends of the loops is designed to give ample room for the insertion of the toe of the riders shoe, and the laterally-curved guards b engage the side of the shoe to prevent the same from slipping sidewise of the pedal, while the curved portions 1) engage the toe of the shoe to limit the forward movement of the same upon the pedal. The loops B are herein shown and will desirably be made of flat strips of metal which possess sufficient resiliency to preserve their form under the pressure of the riders foot. The free end of the side guards b have adjustable connection with the support B, as will hereinafter more fully appear, whereby the width of the clip may be varied.

A preferred form of support B is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 6. Said support is made from a single piece of sheet metal bent to the proper form. Fig. 5 shows the form of the blank from which the support is made and before it has been shaped to receive the loops. Said blank consists of a generally oblong rectangular sheet of sheet metal provided. at one side with the lug b,which is adapted to be bent at right angles to the plane of the blank and is provided with a slot to receive the belt a, by which it is attached to the pedal. Said blank is provided on each side of its longitudinal center with a plurality of transverse slots 1) and is provided opposite the central part of the lug l) with one or more longitudinally arranged slots b bent to its final form is folded upon itself longitudinally between its side edges transversely of the slots b thereby providing in Said blank when IOO the completed support a groove b, which is adapted to receive the free ends of the loops B Said slot is of a width equal to or greater than the thickness of the free ends of the loops, so as to permit the latter to be readily inserted into and withdrawn from the slot and is made of a depth slightly less than the width of the free ends of the said loops, so that when the slip is clamped in place on the pedal the pedal-plate will engage said loop to clamp them in place. Said groove 1) is open at its ends, and the free ends of the loops extend outwardly through said open ends of the slots beyond the support, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The means for attaching the loops to the central part of the support are constructed as follows: The slots 1), when the support is bent to final form, are located in the front wall of the grooved part of the support and open into said groove. The adjacent ends of said loops are adapted to be passed through said openings and transversely through the groove and have their extreme rear ends 6 bent downwardly in a plane parallel with the plane of the lug b and on the rear face of the same, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and t. Preferably said lug will be provided in its part engaged by said extreme ends 11 of the loop with a recess 6 to receive the same, so that they will lie flush or nearly flush with the rear surface of said lug and will be clamped between the pedal-blade and lug when in place on the pedal. Said extreme ends Z) of the loops are arranged on opposite sides of the aperture in the lug through which the holding-bolt 04 passes, so that when the clip is in position on the pedal and the bolt tightened the ends of said loops will be securely held between the lug b and the blade of the pedal. This construction is important, as it does away with the use of rivets or like securing means for connecting the loops to the support and at the same time provides as firm a connection as would be afforded by rivets. Furthermore, the attached ends of the loops are elfectively held from rising in case the parts should become loosened by the loosening of the bolt a by reason of the fact that said attached ends are located under the upper part or wall I) of the support.

Asapreferred means of connecting the free ends of the loops with the support and in such manner that the distance between the side guards may be varied, the lower wall b of the groove is provided on each side of the center thereof with a plurality of notches b, which are adapted to be engaged by right angled lugs or extensions 12 on the free ends of said loops. Said lugs Z2 are in the present instance formed by bending the extreme ends of the loops in a plane at right angles to the parts of the loops which are contained within the groove. The vertical holding-lug b of the support is provided in its part opposite said notches I) with notches Z1 intersecting said notches in the lower wall of the groove, said notches h being provided for the purpose of permitting the lugs 11 of the loops to pass inwardly therethrough when the free ends of the loops are being connected with the groove of the support. Said notches b and 11 are formed from the transverse slots 19 (shown in the blank in Fig. 5,) said blank being bent on a line passing between the ends of said transverse slots. The interlocking connection be tween said support and loops is of great importance, as it affords a rigid and positive engagement between said parts, while at the same time permitting ready adjustment of the loops to vary the width of the clip.

From an inspection of the drawings it will be seen that when the clip is in place upon the pedal the blade of the pedal-frame will engage the rear edge of the support and close being withdrawn longitudinally from said groove. The adjustment of the width of the clip may, however, be easily and quickly accomplished by loosening the bolt, so as to be able to draw the free ends of the loops later= ally from the support, when they may be moved longitudinally of said support and inserted into others of the holding-notches b. As a further and separate improvement the upper part b of the support is extended rearwardly beyond the plane of the inner surface of the holding-lug b and is adapted, when attached to the pedal, to. overlap the upper edge of the blade of the pedal. This construction prevents the clip from turning or twisting upon the pedal when in place thereon in case the holding-bolt A should become slightly loosened.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a modified form of the retaining-loop. As shown in said figure, both sides of the loop will be made from a single strip of metal and separated along a central line, except at the point designated by B where the two loops remain integral. In all other respects the loop will be made in accordance with the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This construction provides an exceedingly rigid and strong construction and at the same time one more economical to manufacture.

I claim as my invention 1. A toe-clip comprising a grooved support, having a plurality of notches opening into the groove thereof, and retaining-loops attached to said support, each loop having its free end located in said groove in interlocking engagement with said notches.

2. A toe-clip comprising a rigid support, provided on each side of the center'thereof with a series of notches, and retaining-loops attached to the said support centrally thereof and provided at their free ends with integral bends adapted to engage said notches of the support.

3. A toe-clip comprising an elongated support, provided with a longitudinal groove HVH I I which is open at the ends thereof and provided also with notches openinginto said groove and retaining-loops attached to said support centrally thereof, each loop having its free end located in said groove and provided with integral bends adapted to engage said notches.

4. A toe-clip comprising a support provided with a rearwardly-opening groove anda vertically-arranged holding-lug and two retaining-loops, one end of each of which is located in said groove longitudinally-thereof and the other end of which extends transversely through said support with its extreme end folded upon the rear face of the said holding-lug.

5. The combination'withthesupportB provided with the groove b and with the lug b having the recess U, of two loops one end of each of which ad justably engages'said groove and the other ends of which pass transversely through said support with their extreme ends engaging said recess b 6. A support for a toe-clip provided with a rearwardly-opening groove having a plurality of notches opening thereinto and provided also with a depending lug having a vertical recess therein, and a pair of retaining-loops, one end of each of which is adapted to rest in said vertical recess and the other end of each of which is adapted for engagement in the notches.

7. A toe-clipcomprising a support provided on each side of the center thereof with a series of rearWardly-opening notches, and a retaining-loop attached to said support, said loop comprising a toe-receiving bend and adjustable side guards, the free ends of which are located in said groove and interlocked with said notches,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 7th day of October, .A. D. 1898.

THOMAS I; DUFFY.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, O. W. HILLS 

